LIVERMORE — Consolidating the Livermore Area Recreation and Park District with the City of Livermore could save hundreds of thousands of dollars a year and lead to millions more in extra funding for parks and rec programs, according to a newly released city study. The Livermore council on Monday will discuss the findings in the study, prepared by consultants Management Partners, which suggests a smaller slice of property tax dollars would be gobbled up by the state if a merger occurred. The study points to the potential for about $640,000 in annual savings through melding services and eliminating redundant staffing.

“The upshot really is if there’s an opportunity to provide additional funding for parks and recreation, then we should be looking at that — particularly in times of decreasing budgets,” said Assistant City Manager Troy Brown.

The decision could not be made unilaterally, however, he said. Any governmental reorganization would have to be approved by the the Local Agency Formation Commission, the state-mandated agency that oversees boundary changes.

Those opposed to a merger would have numerous opportunities to protest along the way, he added.

Formed in 1947 by a public vote, the park district operates independently of the city. It is run by a five-person board and has its own administrative staff which oversees 40-plus parks and programs for a 245-square-mile area of Livermore and some surrounding unincorporated areas.

Both the district and city have been hit hard by the recession and ongoing state budget issues. While the city has dealt with cuts to police and other services, revenue losses stemming from declining property taxes and other factors have forced the termination of popular Livermore Area Recreation and Park District programs such as the Friendship Center Adult Day Care and events such as the Livemore Scottish Games. The situation has sparked conflict among park district board members over the future of the 63-year-old special district.

Former park district board member Scott Kamena was the primary force behind the consolidation study. In July, Kamena, son of Livermore Mayor Marshall Kamena, presented his case to the council on why the option should be researched and explored. In response, city leaders unanimously endorsed launching the $25,000 analysis to look at merger benefits.

Kamena and another incumbent, David Furst, subsequently declined to seek reelection in November. Incumbent Maryalice Faltings and two new board members — David Hutchinson and Laureen Turner — were elected.

Faltings, the board’s longest sitting member with 16 years of service, has been a vocal skeptic of the consolidation idea. Sliding the single purpose special district under the city’s control would not guarantee any additional monies would be kept for parks and recreation, she has argued.

Still, the newly released study suggests there is reason to look further. One of its goals was to determine if, through a merger, the property tax distribution formula for the Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund, or ERAF, would change, Brown said.

Currently, a whopping 48 percent of the park district’s property tax revenue is reallocated to the state, compared to just 24 percent for the city, Brown said. A merger might result in more tax dollars being kept under the city and park district’s control — as much as $3.1 million annually. Those funds could be used to bolster parks and recreation programs, supporters say.